It’s estimated that around 11% of Americans have diabetes, with the majority having an official diagnosis and a treatment plan. As a lifelong condition, diabetes requires constant management and demands significant changes to diet, lifestyle, and behavior. Over the decades, medical science has made significant advancements in terms of both the convenience and accuracy of diabetic treatment and procedures.
The Freestyle Libre Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) system purports to be another significant advancement. Abbott, the company behind this device, claims that it can provide critical information in a discrete and helpful way that lets those with diabetes live their lives as normally as possible. It doesn’t administer insulin but can give timely warnings about blood sugar fluctuations.
To get a better sense of how the system can impact those with diabetes, it’s essential to consider how it works, its advantages, and its drawbacks. After reviewing each of these aspects, those with diabetes can make an informed decision as to whether the Freestyle Libre CGM system is right for them.
How It Works
Unlike traditional glucose monitoring, the Libre CGM system uses a sensor that picks up data on blood glucose levels in real time. This additional information can help people with diabetes more accurately anticipate glucose level fluctuations and make the appropriate dietary and medical decisions on the fly.
The system’s sensor is small and attaches to the arm in a way that can be easily hidden and protected by regular attire. The Libre CGM system uses an app (available on most smartphones) to present information in an easily accessible way to people with diabetes. Further, this data is recorded and can be accessed later to get an idea of common trends.
Advantages of Using the Libre CGM System
There are many obvious advantages to this system. The most important ones include that people with diabetes can keep track of their glucose levels throughout the day and set it up to get notifications when the level begins to change too much. Further, innate record-keeping enables people with diabetes to assess how their bodies respond to different foods and activities with a scientific level of accuracy.
For those who are interested in discretion, the sensor means that someone with diabetes won’t need to stop what they’re doing and regularly check blood sugar levels. This avoids some awkward interactions as strangers or acquaintances won’t be privy to sensitive medical information. Those with diabetes can instead just check the app and get a sense of where their levels are with reasonable accuracy.
When the sensor picks up certain glucose levels, it will notify the user of their blood sugar level. Further, the system itself is water-resistant, so there’s no need to fear going out in the rain. These systems are often covered under insurance, which means that the cost can be quite reasonable despite the high level of technology involved.
Limitations of the Freestyle Libre CGM System
No matter how advanced a system is, it will have its limitations. Due to the fact that it is an external sensor detecting overall blood glucose levels, the Freestyle Libre CGM system doesn’t have pinpoint accuracy. It will produce general information that can warn when there are significant variations, but it will fall back on prompting the user to take a traditional fingerstick reading when it’s uncertain.
Further, the system takes an hour to “warm up” or calibrate to the person it’s attached to. During this time, it simply can’t provide useful information. Therefore, the system can’t warn if there’s a significant blood sugar variation shortly after putting on the sensor. Occasionally, the system can also miss noticeable variations, so users still must monitor their own symptoms. If someone feels that there’s a variation going on, but the Freestyle Libre CGM system is reporting normal levels, it’s essential to take a fingerstick reading.
To Buy or Not to Buy
Those with diabetes have been managing their conditions with modern medicines and the standard limitations of digital readers and fingersticks for years now. The Freestyle Libre CGM system claims to minimize the inevitable disruptions to daily life that come from living with diabetes.
For some people, it is certain to give them more comfort and flexibility, but even in the best cases, this system doesn’t completely replace the more accurate fingersticks. For some, this system may not be able to generate the most accurate readings on a consistent basis, which means that it won’t be much help at all. Ultimately, whether or not it helps a given person depends on their physiology and warrants a conversation with their doctor.
This system is certainly worth a look, as it may represent a major improvement in life quality. Nevertheless, anyone looking at the Freestyle Libre CGM system should keep in mind its limitations and not expect a miracle from this device.